


And They Call It Puppy Love

by wildestoftales



Category: BBC Radio 1 RPF, One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-07-07
Packaged: 2018-04-08 04:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4290711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildestoftales/pseuds/wildestoftales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick gets more than he bargained for when really all he wanted was a nice breakfast and his morning newspaper.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And They Call It Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to [Alison](http://archiveofourown.org/users/alison) for spontaneously beta-ing this for me! :) 
> 
> The title comes from S Club Junior's "Puppy Love" because why not? Obviously this is all just fiction and please don't show it to anyone involved.

Nick likes to pride himself on being flexible, spontaneous, always expecting the unexpected, that kind of thing.

Still, he can't quite help the yelp that escapes him when he opens the door to grab his morning newspaper from where it should be lying on his door map – and in comes running a tiny black-and-white-ball of fluffy puppy like it had just been waiting for the opportunity. 

Nick stumbles backwards and almost trips over the overly excited dog who zooms past him. The sound of barking from his living room alerts Nick to the fact that the puppy has probably successfully found Pig. 

Just as Nick is about to close the door to turn back into the flat and deal with the problem – though he's not sure how – someone else appears on his doorstep.

It's a human someone this time.

“Hang on!” he says, shoving the door open with one hand. 

Nick has seen him around before, actually. He recognises the bright blue eyes and the light brunette hair, although it's half-hidden underneath a red snapback. He's one of his neighbours, living a floor or two above Nick with three roommates, if he's not mistaken. 

“That your dog?” Nick asks, acutely aware of the fact that he's still just in his boxer shorts. He had only meant to grab his newspaper to read over breakfast, after all. 

The fact that the guy is taking his sweet time checking Nick out lets him know very clearly that he's aware of Nick's state of undress, too. 

If Nick could have wished for any neighbour's dog to run into his flat unasked, he probably would have chosen this neighbour, actually. He's cute, there's no denying it. Nick has seen him trip down the stairs in his haste to catch the bus on his way to – presumably – Uni and he's seen him skate down the hallway, laughing loudly with his bright blonde roommate with the Irish accent. 

Nick has seen him stumble home drunk in the wee hours of the morning, greeting him with a too-bright grin, smelling of booze – and has still thought of him as his hottest neighbour by far. 

“Nah,” the guy says after the seconds stretch on too long between them. Pig and the puppy's barking now intermingle but it doesn't sound like they're fighting, so Nick doesn't feel the need to go and intervene immediately. Pig is usually fine with dogs she doesn't know, perhaps overly friendly but never aggressive. 

“I opened the front door and he came running in. Don't know whose he is,” the guy explains, shrugging. 

“Alright,” Nick says, dragging a hand through his hair. He wishes he'd had his shower before running into cute neighbours, at least, but there's no helping it now. “Come in, then? I'll just go put on some clothes, then we can figure this out. I guess.”

His neighbour takes a step in and closes the door, grinning for some unknown reason. “You do that.” 

Nick is halfway through the door to his bedroom when he stops, takes a step back, and says, “I'm Nick, by the way.” 

Still smiling, the guy replies, “I'm Louis.”

–

When he returns to his two guests, fully dressed this time, Louis is sitting on the floor, the puppy rolled up happily on his lap and Pig next to him, sniffling the puppy's ear curiously.

Louis looks up. “It's a boy puppy.”

“Good to know,” Nick says and crouches down next to them. “What do we do with him now?” 

He's already half-formed a plan of printing out pictures of the puppy to hang around the neighbourhood, asking for information from anyone recognising the cute little bugger. 

“Feed him first, I think. Who knows when he's last eaten?” Louis suggests. “Then I thought we should go outside with him to wait for a bit. Maybe he only escaped his owner ten minutes ago and they're still frantically searching.” 

Louis bundles up the puppy in his arms to hold up in front of his face and say in a silly voice, “I'd be frantically searching for you, wouldn't I? Yeah, I would.” 

The puppy tries to lick his nose but can't quite get close enough. 

Nick exchanges a look with his own dog. He's quite sure she agrees that this is all a bit too cute to handle. 

They go through with Louis' plan. 

The puppy isn't hungry at all. He only laps at the water in Pig's water bowl for a bit before bundling back over to bother her to play with him. 

“He looks quite well kept,” Nick muses. “Probably not a proper street dog, then.” 

“I don't think there are street dogs in London's suburbs,” Louis replies with a teasing smile. 

“That's nice, but I'm the resident dog expert, aren't I? Seeing as I actually own a dog. Plus, the puppy was obviously drawn to me.” 

Louis laughs as he takes Pig's second leash – Nick is glad he owns one – off Nick to put on the puppy. He struggles a bit in Louis' grip but resorts to excitedly licking Louis' hand after a moment. “Think he was more drawn to the smell of your dog.” 

Since Nick has to take Pig for her morning walk around this time anyway, they put her on a leash, too, and take her with them. 

Once they get outside, Nick isn't quite sure what to do. 

“Should we just wait here?” he asks, ignoring the way Pig pulls on her leash. She's used to going to the nearby park, not standing around in front of the door. “Did you see the direction he was coming from?” 

Louis shakes his head. “No, I was just about to leave when he ran straight into my legs, and then passed me on his way straight towards your door.” 

“Do you have anywhere to be? I can take care of the puppy alone if you have,” Nick offers. If Louis was leaving, maybe he's already late to wherever he has to be.

Louis shakes his head. “Just meeting up with a mate. Already texted him while you got dressed.” 

Fed up with them not moving, Pig pulls on her leash harder. “Calm down, Pig,” Nick tells her, reluctantly looking away from Louis and down on her. “We'll go to the park in a bit, promise. Sit.” 

Being the well trained dog that she thankfully is, Pig sits down immediately, if reluctantly. 

Louis starts laughing. 

“What?” Nick asks, not quite able to stop his smile from forming. Louis is has an infectious laugh, is all. 

“You named your dog Pig?” Louis reaffirms. 

Nick tries not to roll his eyes. He's heard people making fun of her name one too many times now. “Yeah. She likes her name so don't even say anything.” 

Louis mimics zipping his lips shut, his eyes bright. 

Perhaps finding a strange puppy on his doorstep first thing in the morning isn't quite as awful a start to the day as Nick had first thought.

–

When, after almost twenty minutes of waiting, no one has shown up in a frenzy to claim their dog, they decide to take both dogs to the park. Pig is uneasy and bored and the puppy keeps chewing on the leash like it's some kind of toy.

Both seem relieved when they finally start walking. 

“What are we gonna do with him now?” Louis asks after a moment, eyes on the puppy who keeps alternating between running too fast and being held back by the leash as a consequence and getting distracted by something or other on the street, holding them back. 

“I don't know,” Nick replies. “Take him back home, I suppose? I've already got one dog, so another one shouldn't be too much work for bit. Maybe I'll print out some flyers with his picture on them and hang them around the neighbourhood, something like that.” 

They sit down on the first park bench they come across, under a shady tree.

“I'll help you,” Louis offers without hesitation. “Kinda my fault he got into the house into the first place.”

It's not really but Nick isn't about to refuse his hot neighbour's offer of help. He bends down to let Pig off her leash to she can run around and let off some steam. 

When he sees Louis copying his movements, Nick stops him with a hand to his arm. “I wouldn't let him run free. He might run away again and then end up under a car or something.” 

Louis frowns, sitting back up. “Hadn't thought of that. Surprisingly good thinking there, neighbour.” 

Nick arches his eyebrows at him. “Excuse me? Nothing about me being terribly intelligent is surprising.” 

“If you say so,” Louis agrees but then ruins it by laughing at him. 

Nick can't quite find it in him to be annoyed by it. 

The puppy doesn't seem unhappy to be kept on the leash, at least. Sniffling the grass and the bench and playing with their feet is enough entertainment for him. 

“I really hope for your sake that he's house-trained.” 

Nick's eyes go wide. “I can't go through that again. Pig was bad enough!” 

“Did you name her after how much of a mess she made?” Louis quips. 

“Actually, pigs are very clean animals,” Nick informs him. 

“Have you researched that or something?” Louis wants to know, grin wide. “Before naming her?” 

Nick absolutely has. “No.”

–

When they get back home, Pig and the puppy arrange themselves on Pig's dog bed, the puppy half on top of her, and fall asleep.

Nick snaps a picture. 

“Do you want to use that for the flyers?” Louis asks. 

Honestly, Nick hadn't even thought about that. He'd only reacted on impulse, always insisting on preserving memories in the form of photos. 

He shakes his head, turns his phone around, and takes another picture, this time of Louis. Just before the flash goes off, Louis pulls a face, eyes wide and lips pressed together. 

He still looks good in the picture. 

“We should take one of him when he's awake, probably. So you can see his face properly and all.” 

Louis nods. “Yeah, I suppose that's better.” 

Being the good host that he is, Nick offers Louis a cup of tea. 

Reluctantly, Louis shakes his head, throwing a glance at the clock on Nick's living room wall. “Always love a cuppa, but I promised my mate I'd take over his shift at the shop and I should probably get going.” 

“Sure,” Nick says easily. “No worries, I can take care of the troublemaker all on my own.” 

Louis smiles and takes Nick by surprise with a promise to come by later that night to see how the puppy is doing and help Nick with the flyers. 

“Unless you mind?” Louis adds after a second's silence. 

“No,” Nick says because he doesn't. “I don't mind at all.”

–

Nick may or may not take a shower in the late afternoon and take great care to get his hair just right and pick a much nicer outfit than the hastily thrown on-clothes from the morning. There's no shame in being a bit vain, is there?

Especially not with the promise of his hot neighbour visiting again later that day at the back of Nick's mind. 

By the time Louis knocks on the door again, the puppy has chewed up one shoe, the newspaper, and three of Pig's toys as well as having made a general ruckus all over the flat. 

“I forgot how stressful puppies are,” Nick says and steps aside to let Louis in. Pig hadn't even been this hyper-active – or maybe Nick had suppressed those memories. 

“How can such a tiny ball of cute be stressful?” Louis asks and bends down to pick up the puppy who was on his way to possibly chew up more of Nick's belongings and isn't too happy to be interrupted. 

Louis isn't wearing the snapback anymore or even the same shirt he was wearing that morning. It's entirely possible Nick is imagining it but his jeans seem also to have become significantly tighter. 

Nick tries his absolute best not to smirk. 

“He took that one nap when you left this morning and has been like a child on a sugar high ever since,” Nick explains, following Louis further into the flat. 

It's hard to believe Louis had been in his flat for the first time that same morning with how comfortably he moves about and drops down to sit on the couch. 

“I tried to take pictures but I couldn't hold him still and take photos at the same time.” 

Louis rolls his eyes. “He's a tiny thing, it can't be that hard.”

About ten minutes later when they've started trying to take pictures, Louis sighs in defeat and starfishes on his stomach on the floor, as the puppy happily jumps on his back.

“I don't wanna say I told you so, but...” 

Louis frowns up at him. “Don't say it, then.” 

The puppy leaps over the back of Louis' head down on the floor again and runs over to Pig's dog bed to bother her. She's been the most patient with him but this time she just growls and hides her face under her paws as soon as he approaches. 

“Come on,” Nick says and offers Louis a hand to help him up. “I'll try to hold him and you take the pictures?”

Louis rolls over onto his back and blinks up at Nick. His shirt has ridden up a little to expose a sliver of stomach and Nick is concentrating very hard on looking him in the eyes.

With a grin, Louis takes his hand and proceeds to make himself as unmovable and heavy as possible as Nick tries to heave him up. Only at the last moment, when he's almost standing, does Louis give up the resistance so that Nick pulls too hard on his hand and they crash into each other.

Louis laughs good-naturedly as he lets go of Nick's hand. “Please try to be a tad more coordinated when you hold the puppy.” 

Rolling his eyes, Nick hands Louis his phone before walking over to Pig's dog bed and picking up the puppy. He proceeds to lick as much of Nick's face as he possibly can. 

Nick makes a face. “I'll have words with your owner about that terrible habit,” he threatens the puppy but the little guy continues as if Nick hadn't said anything. 

“Sit down,” Louis instructs. Nick drops down on his only armchair, a giant ugly neon yellow thing that he adores to pieces. “Don't let him jump-- You let him jump off you.” Louis lowers the phone with the camera pointed at him to expose Nick to the full experience of his disappointed look. 

Nick looks down on his empty hands. “Well, that was quick.” 

Barking happily, the puppy runs back and forth on his sofa now, having made the leap from Nick's hands over there, probably shedding hair all over it. 

“We really should have taken a photo when he was napping,” Louis concludes. 

Nick can't help but agree. 

The second time Nick grabs the puppy he's more careful to hold him in place. Louis snaps a lot of photos in quick succession, hoping that at least one of them will turn out alright. 

“Okay?” Nick asks when the puppy starts squirming unhappily.

“I hope so.” 

As soon as Nick drops him back down to the floor, the puppy is off to more interesting adventures that involve being somewhere other than the living room. 

Without warning, Louis drops down on the arm rest next to Nick and leans close so that they can scroll through the pictures he's taken together. 

“I should become a professional photographer,” Louis muses. “Absolutely love how I managed to catch your hassled expression on every single one. Can't wait to hang this up all over the neighbourhood.” 

Nick pinches Louis' arm. “Don't be a dick. We'll cut my face out of them.” 

“That's half the fun gone!” Louis protests, rubbing his arm while looking greatly offended. 

It's perhaps a bit early for it, but Nick really wants to kiss him.

–

The next day, Sunday morning, has Louis showing up with fresh croissants for breakfast, a dog toy that already squeaks from just Louis holding it (Nick doesn't really want to imagine what kind of annoyance the puppy will turn it into), and a cheeky grin.

“Is this some elaborate plan to deafen me?” Nick asks, feeling a curious warmth somewhere in the pit of his stomach. He takes the pink bone-shaped toy from Louis. 

“It is.” Louis pushes past him in the flat. “Where's the troublemaker? Don't tell me someone's already come to get him back?” 

Nick shakes his head. They had spent the past evening hanging up flyers with Nick's address on them all over the neighbourhood and in the park, so that the puppy's owner can come by anytime to collect him. 

No one has come to claim him so far. 

“He's asleep so please be quiet,” Nick requests. 

Louis raises an eyebrow at him. 

“He didn't fall asleep until about four in the morning.” 

Thankfully quietly, Louis laughs. “Sounds like you have a newborn baby and not someone's escaped puppy.” 

“Feels like it, too. At least he doesn't refuse to eat Pig's food.” Having the puppy be a picky eater would only have added to Nick's stress levels.

Although he does have to admit that he feels more relaxed by the minute just by virtue of looking at Louis. He does, however, still feel awfully sleepy. 

Louis smiles and holds up the bag with croissants. “Breakfast?”

That's an offer Nick really can't refuse. 

They're almost finished eating when Louis says, all of a sudden, “So I've been thinking.” 

Nick swallows down his bite and raises his eyebrows. “Alright?”

“I think the puppy needs a name for now. We can't keep referring to him as the puppy, it's like referring to you as the human.” 

“Put a 'good-looking' in front of 'human' and I'm fine with it.” 

Louis grins, obviously amused. “Conceited much?”

“Only a little,” Nick replies easily. “But don't you think giving him a new name would confuse the poor guy? He's already got a name, probably.” 

“Nah, I think he'll be fine. Dogs are clever, aren't they?”

“Mine certainly is.” 

Louis laughs. He has such a nice laugh. “Good to know. Anyway, what should we call the puppy? Maybe just Puppy? We're basically already calling him that.”

Suddenly a lot less happy, Nick shakes his head. “Not Puppy.” 

He's not exactly sure what makes him do it – except maybe for the fact that he's always been an oversharer – but he holds out his arm to point at his Puppy tattoo. “That was my last dog's name.”

Louis reaches out and strokes a finger over the tattoo. Trying not to get goose bumps is a futile effort on Nick's part. “Terribly imaginative, you are,” Louis says but he sounds kind. “What happened?”

“She died unexpectedly.” 

It's been more than a year now but Nick still can't think of her without a feeling of emptiness in his chest. Hence, obviously, the tattoo. 

“Poor Puppy,” Louis says, pulling his hand back. He tilts his head to the side as he examines Nick's face, perhaps to see if he's going start crying or anything similarly embarrassing . Of course Nick won't. “Another name for our little puppy, then. Any ideas?”

Nick leans back in his chair. “What breed is he?”

Louis raises his eyebrows. “What's that got to do with it? Looks like a Husky to me – only, like, smaller.”

“Nothing, I'm just wondering.”

Just then, the puppy comes bounding into the kitchen like them talking about him has alerted him. He barks in greeting and tries to jump up on Louis' lap, except he's way too small. 

“We should call him Twister,” Nick suggests.

“Hiya baby boy,” Louis greets the dog in that ridiculous voice of his he uses on the puppy and Pig. Nick tries not to let any bit of how endeared he is show on his face. Louis looks up and at Nick. “Twister?”

“Yeah 'cause he's got so much energy and having him in the flat is like having a tornado in here.” 

Louis bends down to pick the puppy up and pull him onto his lap. “Nick is being dramatic, isn't he? You're not that much work.” 

Like he's trying to prove Louis wrong instantly, the puppy bends forward to steal the bit of croissant that was left from Louis' breakfast. 

Louis frowns as he looks down on the happily chewing offender. “Okay,” he says. “Twister it is.”

–

Nick isn't in the best mood when he comes home from his walk with Pig and Twister on Monday afternoon.

Even Louis suddenly appearing at his side, smiling widely, isn't enough to chase away his frown.

“You coming or leaving?” he asks. 

“Coming back from our walk,” Nick replies, unlocking the door to his flat. The two dogs, freed of their leashes already, dash in. He gestures for Louis to enter his flat as well. 

“Why so grumpy?” 

Nick follows him in and closes the door. He doesn't quite slam it but he he's close to it. 

“Twister peed all over my bed while I was at work.” 

Louis laughs so hard that his eyes crinkle at the corners and Nick does not need this right now. He scoffs. 

“No one come to claim him yet?”

“Obviously not,” Nick replies darkly. He can't even really blame Twister – he's just a puppy, after all. It had still been annoying to come home to. 

Louis leans against the wall, arms hanging loosely at his side, as he watches Nick take off his shoes and jacket. When Nick is finished undressing and straightens back up, Louis takes a step forward. He catches the hem of Nick's shirt in his hand to pull him in. 

When he goes up on his toes, Nick suddenly knows very clearly where this is going.

“I'm going to kiss you now,” Louis says quietly. 

Nick isn't sure if that announcement requires a reply. 

So instead of giving one, Nick surges forward to meet Louis in the middle.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, Nick had been aware that this is where this was heading from the moment he'd opened his door in his boxer shorts to find Louis checking him out. There was no other ending this route could have led to.

So it's not surprise, can't be surprise, that's making his heart speed up in his chest. 

It must be Louis. 

They kiss for a bit, unhurried, leaning against Nick's hallway wall. When they separate, there's a blush on Louis' face and Nick can't help but reach out his thumb to stroke over one of his cheeks.

“That your way of distracting me from dog pee on my bed?” To be fair, if that is Louis' way of distracting Nick – or cheering him up – it's working really well.

Louis laughs. “Awfully romantic thing to say right after the best kiss of your life.” 

Nick pulls him into his arms, laughing right into his ear. “Conceited much?”

“Only a little,” Louis echoes Nick's own words. “And only because it's true.” 

“I think there's room for improvement,” Nick says, mostly to provoke Louis into kissing him some more. 

Louis takes a step back to arch his eyebrows at Nick and take his hand. “So, did you change the sheets on your bed?”

Nick laughs. Again. Louis makes him laugh a lot. It's a nice feeling. 

“Smooth, Lou, very smooth. Yeah, I did.” 

The smirk Louis throws him at that does absolutely not set butterflies loose inside of Nick. It just doesn't. 

“I know I am,” Louis replies and pulls Nick towards his bedroom.

–

Afterwards, it's the sound of Twister clawing on the outside of his bedroom door that pulls Nick back to earth.

He sighs heavily. 

Louis grins at him and rolls over to lie on Nick, his chin digging into Nick's chest, edging on painful.

Making a face, Nick complains, “You're sweaty.”

“Like that's not your fault? And you're not exactly shower-fresh either.” 

Nick kisses him on the nose because it's easiest to reach. In retaliation, Louis licks Nick's chin.

“Weirdo,” Nick calls him fondly.

The clawing starts up again and then Twister whines pathetically. 

“That dog will be the end of me,” Nick says.

“He just feels excluded.”

“Pig isn't ready to break down the door because she's well-trained.” 

Louis shrugs. He reaches out a hand to tangle it in Nick's hair. Nick is not very fond of people messing with his hair but during or post-sex he can make an exception. 

“If his owner never comes to pick him up, you'll have enough time to train him just as well.” 

That's true, Nick supposes. “Only if you help me.” 

Louis smiles at that.

They fall into silence for a while, only occasionally interrupted by the noise of what is probably Twister destroying Nick's entire flat. He can only hope Pig will have enough sense and courage to defend Nick's possessions.

Probably not. 

Louis' hand in Nick's hair has stilled and he half-suspects he's fallen asleep. 

Maybe it's why he has enough courage to say, “You should come over for dinner tomorrow night.” 

Louis makes a tiny grumpy noise. “What?” 

Nick repeats what he said. 

After a moment, Louis lifts his head to look at him. “Yeah?” 

“Like, as a date.” Just in case Louis didn't get that. 

Louis smiles. 

“Alright,” he agrees. “But I don't put out on the first date, just so you know.” 

Closing his eyes, Nick rests his hands on Louis' naked bum. “Duly noted.”

–

Louis looks especially hot when Nick opens the door to him the next day. He's worked his hair up in some kind of quiff, which accentuates the sharpness of his features.

“I don't know if we're doing this, like, properly or whatever,” he greets Nick. The fact that he's in nice jeans and a button-down hints at the fact that they are indeed doing this properly. “But here.” Louis hands him a bottle of red wine. 

Nick smiles and leans to down to kiss Louis hello. It's maybe not standard on the first date but they've already had sex so it doesn't really matter. 

“Cheers. Come in.” 

“How's our foster child doing today?” Louis asks as he follows Nick into the kitchen. 

Said foster child comes running to greet Louis excitedly, attacking the hem of Louis' black jeans. Pig follows at a slower pace, tail wiggling. 

“Better. He didn't pee anywhere, for one. And he's not driving me crazy. As much.” 

Louis takes his time patting both dogs. “Maybe he was just nervous yesterday. You're a stranger to him and he's a baby, he's allowed to be.” 

“You're too soft on him,” Nick says, not really meaning it at all. “Wanna keep cuddling the dogs or have dinner with me? I slaved away over this.” 

Smiling, Louis gets up. “I won't believe that until I've tasted it myself.”

They're halfway through the bottle of wine and well into their dessert – tiramisu, Nick is particularly proud of it – when the doorbell rings. 

Louis raises his eyebrows. “Expecting anyone else?” he teases. 

Obviously Nick isn't. He gets up to see who is at the door. 

This is the third time someone appears randomly on his doorstep, he thinks, as he opens the door to a rather stressed looking guy. He's wearing joggers and a muscle shirt like he had just been out for a jog before deciding to pause to come ring Nick's door bell. 

“Uh?” Nick says rather intelligently because the guy's shirt is rather tight and it's a bit distracting if he's being perfectly honest. 

The guy's brown eyes look pleading. He must be around Louis' age. “Have you got Loki?” he asks. 

Nick is about to tell him no – who is Loki? – when his own flyer in the guy's hand registers with him.

“Oh! You're the owner? Come in, he's just--”

He doesn't get to finish his invitation because the guy has already passed him on his way into the flat. 

There's nothing to do but close the door and follow him. 

He finds Louis,, the guy and Twister in the kitchen. Louis is still sitting on his chair, wearing a rather bewildered expression as he watches the guy cuddle Twister – or, well, Loki – on the floor.

“I've been worried sick about you!” he tells his dog who licks all over his owner's hands, more enthusiastic than Nick has ever seen him. 

With Loki tightly pressed against his chest – Loki doesn't even wiggle, which is a miracle – the guy finally looks up at Nick and Louis. 

“Thank you so much for taking care of him! I can't ever thank you enough,” he says, painfully earnest. 

Nick sits down next to Louis. “It's alright. Wasn't much of a bother.”

Louis, the traitor, laughs. “What's his name?” he asks. “We called him Twister cause we didn't know.” 

The guy smiles and holds up the puppy's paw to make it look like he's waving. It's awfully adorable. “He's Loki. And I'm Liam.” 

Nick introduces himself and Louis but is interrupted – again. 

“Loki? Like Marvel Loki?” Louis asks, eyes lighting up. 

“Yeah!” Liam confirms happily. “Although Twister's a good name as well.” 

Nick wonders if it's rude to stare at Liam's arms while technically on his first date with Louis. Just as he's guiltily looking away, he catches Louis staring as well. When Nick raises his eyebrows at him, Louis blushes. 

“I missed you,” Liam tells the dog and then gets up from the floor. His gaze lands on the nicely set table. Nick had even put a candle on it – he' a classy guy, after all. 

It's Liam's turn to go a bit red. “Sorry for interrupting,” he says, stumbling over his words. “I didn't mean to.” 

“Not at all.” Louis smiles cheekily. “You hungry? We're almost done and we've got tons left.” 

Well. Nick clearly doesn't have to feel bad for being a bit attracted to Loki's owner if Louis goes and invites him in on their dinner date. 

“I couldn't,” Liam says, shaking his head, but his gaze flits over to what's left of the Lasagne Nick had cooked. It's not the fanciest dinner date food, necessarily, but it's one Nick knows he does well. He hadn't want any unwanted surprises during their date.

Well, he got a surprise, anyway, after all, in the form of Liam – although it's not necessarily unwanted. Loki is very happy about him being there, for one. 

“You owe us, though. We took care of your dog, so you owe us at least dinner,” It doesn't make much sense, logically, but Nick is good at selling people nonsense as clever arguments. 

“If you insist,” Liam agrees finally. He puts Loki down on the floor and tells him that they'll stay just for a little while longer. 

Nick likes people who talk to their dog. He's just the same with Pig. 

Louis gets up to get Liam a plate and cutlery and Nick spares a moment to wonder how Louis knows his cupboards so well already – they've only officially met a few days ago, after all.

He finds he doesn't mind. 

“So is that a regular thing with Loki?” Nick asks. He's curious. Sue him. “Does he tend to run away?”

Liam shakes his head. “No, he's never done that before! I mean I haven't had him for that long but yeah. We were in my backyard and a firework went off somewhere, so he got scared and squeezed himself through a tiny hole in the fence and just ran away.” 

Louis puts down a full plate in front of him. 

“Thanks.”

“Welcome,” Louis replies and walks around the table to sit back down next to Nick. He links their feet under the table almost instantly. 

“I'm so glad to have him back, I was so worried,” Liam says. He's so sweet it almost makes Nick's teeth ache a bit. Mostly it just awakens an urge to hug him. 

Nick leans back against his chair. “My dog's afraid of fireworks, too. She always goes hiding under the bed or the sofa on New Year's.”

“You have a dog, too?” Liam asks, looking around the kitchen as if Pig will somehow pop up in the corner.

Louis laughs and calls for Pig. She comes bundling into the kitchen instantly from wherever she was hiding out. As he's the curious new addition, Pig sniffles Liam's leg for a minute before seemingly declaring him no threat and trotting over to her water bowl. 

“She's sweet,” Liam comments. 

“Eat your food before it goes cold,” Nick replies. “And don't pay her compliments, her head's big enough already.” 

“I know someone else like that.” Louis nudges him in the ribs like they're sharing a secret when he's really obviously shit-talking Nick. What a little brat. Nick likes him so much. 

When he looks back up from his little scrabble with Louis – because of course he's had to physically defend himself – Liam is smiling at them. He's got a lovely kind smile. Nick still kind of wants to see him naked, as well. He's an odd mixture of sweet and painfully hot. 

Nick doesn't question why he can go about thinking about how much he likes Louis to imagining Liam naked in under a minute. 

“How long have you been together?” Liam asks. 

“You-- What--” Louis splutters. 

It would be a bit more hilarious if Nick hadn't been sipping on his wine just then and is now choking just the tiniest bit. 

Louis mercifully hits him on his back until he can breathe again. 

Liam's eyes are wide. “Sorry?” he tries. 

“We're not – I don't think –“ Nick used to be better at this whole talking thing, he's sure of it. 

“We only met because of Loki, a few days ago,” Louis explains. “So it's a bit early for that question.” 

Liam's cheeks go a bit pink. It accentuates the freckles on his nose. “Oh. Sorry? Only, you seem like you've been a couple for ages.”

“Mate,” Nick interrupts. “You're gonna awaken my commitment issues.” 

He's mostly joking. There's nothing to have commitment issues about, yet, anyway. Plus, he's mostly gotten over that phase. He's not twenty-two anymore, for one. 

“Sorry,” Liam says again. 

“It's fine,” Nick assures him. 

Liam nods, albeit hesitatingly, and finally digs into the food. After only the first bite, he emits a groan that, frankly, should be illegal. 

“This is so good!” he follows it up with. Nick can feel himself blushing now. He's not even a blusher, for heaven's sake. “Who made this?”

“Nick did,” Louis says, smirking. “Slaved over it.” 

“Really good!” Liam repeats. 

“Cheers.” 

As Liam continues eating, Louis suddenly tugs at Nick's hand. He waggles his eyebrows in a motion that's surely supposed to mean something but the meaning is entirely lost on Nick. 

He just frowns back. 

Louis rolls his eyes. 

“Liam, would you excuse us for a second? We've got to talk about something real quick,” Louis says. 

Nick frowns harder as Liam waves them on and Louis tugs him off his chair and into the living room.

“We need to talk about something?” Nick inquires just as Louis closes the door on Loki who was trying to follow them and whines pathetically. Liam calls him back into the kitchen after a moment and the whining stops. 

“So, like,” Louis says, leaning against the closed door. “That Liam guy is really hot.” 

Nick's jaw drops. “That's not something you can just say to me on our first date!” 

“You've been staring at him like you want to eat him alive, Nick,” Louis replies instantly. 

Nick can't even deny it. He's not that good of a liar. “And I've been feeling appropriately guilty about it!”

Very slowly, Louis raises one eyebrow at him.

“Well,” Nick amends. “A little.” 

Louis smirks. “Look, it doesn't mean I don't find you hot anymore. Course I still do. It's just that he's hot as well and imagining you two together is… well, even hotter.”

“Very varied vocabulary, there, really impressive.” 

“Oh, shut up.” 

Nick steps forward to rest a hand on Louis' hip. Just that bit of contact feels grounding. 

Giving him a smile, Louis leans up to press a kiss to his lips. “So?” he prompts after pulling away again.

“So what? You can't ask the poor guy who's only just been reunited with his dog for a,” he drops his voice down to a whisper, “threesome.” 

“What does his dog have to do with anything?” Louis asks, clearly confused.

“I don't know, it just seems wrong.”

“But you _have_ been thinking about a threesome! Because I didn't mention anything about that.” 

Louis is a little shit for twisting his words like that. “Only briefly! We only met him ten minutes ago.” 

“No time like the present,” Louis says, smirking. 

“We don't even know if he's into guys at all.” 

Louis' face falls at that. “We don't have to-- Nick, I was just saying. I thought you might want it as well.” He frowns. “Don't let me talk you into anything.” 

Sighing, Nick leans his forehead against Louis'. “If we don't stop talking about it, then I'm gonna get hard and everything will get awkward really fast.”

Of course Louis, relief clear as day on his face, takes that as his cue to grab Nick's crotch. “I don't find that awkward at all,” he says, waggling his eyebrows.

Nick twists away from his hand. 

“What's your plan? Just ask? Try and seduce him?” 

“You couldn't seduce someone if you got paid for it,” Louis quips. 

“Ever since I've let you into my pants you've become a rude little shit,” Nick observes. “Which is, by the way, clear proof that I am indeed capable of seducing someone.” 

Louis presses a kiss to Nick's cheek. “That was clearly all on me.” 

Nick doesn't argue the point. 

“We're just gonna ask. Worst thing that can happen is he grabs his dog and runs,” Louis suggests.

Never in his life has Nick considered just outright asking someone _'so, up for a threesome?'_ It sounds too much like the beginning of porn. 

“I like the dog,” Nick says a little sadly. He's gonna miss Twister-slash-Loki, even though he'd mostly been a nuisance. 

Louis laughs at him and opens the door. “I have no idea why I think you're attractive at all,” he says but smiles kindly back at him over his shoulder as he walks back to the kitchen. 

There's nothing to do but follow him. 

Liam stands up when they get back in. He's finished his plate of lasagne as well as his glass of wine. 

“I shouldn't have interrupted,” he says too quickly. Obviously he's taken their long absence the wrong way. 

“Sit down,” Louis says. 

“If you want,” Nick adds. 

Liam might want to be able to get away as quickly as possible. Right now, he just looks confused and a little flushed but not scared or weirded out. 

After a second's hesitation, Liam sits down. Nick and Louis copy him. 

“So,” Louis says. “We've got a question for you and it might be a little odd.” 

“Okay?” 

“You're allowed to say no,” Nick throws in. 

Louis nods. “Obviously. And we know it's weird but there's really no other way to go about this.” 

“Well, there might be other ways,” Nick says. “But right now, this is the only way we can think of, so we just want--”

“You're really freaking me out,” Liam interrupts. “Just ask your question?” He looks cute when he's confused. 

Nick and Louis exchange a look. This will probably take a quite disastrous turn in less than a minute. 

Louis makes him do stupid things and he's only met him a few days ago. If Nick had the time and the brain capacity, he would probably be freaking out over it, at least a little bit. 

Looking back over to Liam, Nick blurts, “You're really hot.” 

Liam resembles a deer in the headlights. “Thanks?” 

“So, basically,” Louis starts. “Are you into guys? Do you fancy having sex with us?”

And there it is. 

It's quite possible that Nick has never felt so awkward in his entire life. He's not sure how opening the doors to grab his morning newspaper has led to this. 

He should cancel his subscription. 

Liam's eyes go wide. “Really?” 

Nick and Louis nod at once. “Yeah, really.”

“It's just – Are you sure? You're both so,” he gestures his hand in their direction in a manner that tells Nick absolutely nothing about what he means, “and I'm just. You know.” 

Is he really actually insecure? Does he own a mirror?

Nick doesn't say that. “We're sure. You're free to say no but yeah. We're up for it if you are,” is what he says instead. 

He kind of wishes someone would just tape his mouth closed before more awkward things come spilling out. 

Liam's gaze keeps flitting between them. “You're not going to, like, get me distracted and then steal all my stuff? Because I haven't got anything but my keys with me. I was just going for a run when I saw the flyer.” 

Louis tilts his head to the side a little. “Liam. We don't want to steal your stuff. We just want to – well, have sex with you. If you want to.” 

Liam giggles. He giggles. Nick is going to have a heart attack and it'll all be Louis and Liam's fault. 

“Yeah,” Liam says, just like that.

“Yeah?” Nick can't help but ask.

Liam nods. “Of course. Definitely. Yeah.” 

There's a moment of silence where they all look at each other, not quite sure how to proceed. Nick hadn't honestly expected Liam to just agree. 

“Well,” Liam says after a moment. “Did you mean now, or--?” 

Louis gets up and drags Nick up with him, too. “Most definitely did we mean now.” 

Nick is only a little bit frozen as he watches Louis take Liam's hand and pull him in close, all teasing smirk but warm eyes. 

They look so good together. Nick is probably going to die before he gets his hands on either of them. 

“Fair warning,” Louis says. “I've never had a threesome before. But I'm pretty ace in bed, so. Should work out.” 

Liam laughs. His hands are on Louis' hips, but he looks over at Nick as he says, “I've had one before.”

Nick gasps. “No way!” 

“You cheeky bugger,” Louis says, sounding awed. “Come on, then, show us how it's done.” 

Liam reaches out a hand to Nick to pull him into their embrace, too. 

Nick goes easily.


End file.
